The firm behind a multi-billion-pound nuclear power station was warned “not to take local support for granted” as Anglesey council raised concerns over its latest consultation document today.

Horizon Nuclear Power hopes to start building the £14bn Wylfa Newydd plant near the existing Wylfa site in 2020, once all the consents and financing are in place.

But, responding to Horizon’s third and final phase of pre-application public consultation (PAC3), the county council today warned that its latest document contained “so little detail that it threatened the whole adequacy and lawfulness of the consultation process”.

Horizon is planning to submit a development consent order (DCO) application to the Planning Inspectorate next month, which will include the main power station proposals as well as integral off-site developments.

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At a specially convened council meeting in Llangefni, deputy leader Ieuan Williams sought the consent of members in responding to PAC3 by highlighting several concerns.

The letter, which will be sent by chief executive Dr Gwynne Jones, says: “This lack of detail means that we are not able to meaningfully assess the potential impacts of the project, examine the validity of Horizon’s proposals or to influence and shape the proposals.”

Cllr Williams pointed to concerns over Horizon’s latest plan to slash the number of construction staff from 10,700 to 8,500 and increase the number of temporary workers housed on-site from 500 to 4,000.

Adding that they had only been given 28 days to respond, he said: “These are fundamental changes in the nature of the project and, while we continue to support Wylfa Newydd in principle, our support does not come at any cost nor should it be taken for granted.”

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Responding to Horizon’s latest estimate that only 2,000 of the construction workers will be from the local area, Cllr Williams added: “We want justification as to why more local people shouldn’t work on the build, receiving no evidence why the percentage shouldn’t be higher.

“The local impact of 4,000 rather than 500 workers staying on one site also needs further investigation.”

But some councillors were not happy with the wording of the council’s letter, with Cllr Aled Morris Jones saying emotive wording like “lawfulness” would not reflect well on the authority.

He added: “My support comes at at a realistic cost, not at any cost, but we need to work with Horizon, not against them.”

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Opposition leader Cllr Bryan Owen said: “We’re not over the line yet and the funding for Wylfa Newydd isn’t in place. We can’t go on the attack too much.”

Council leader Llinos Medi responded: “The point of a consultation like this is to express our concerns and how to mitigate negative factors.

“It’s known to everyone the benefits of a project like this to Anglesey.”

Support for the council’s letter was passed by 23 votes to five.

A Horizon spokesperson said: “The draft feedback we’ve received from Anglesey council is appreciated, even though we are naturally disappointed with some key aspects.

“The council has a key role to play in delivering the project and maximising its benefits for the community, and we are keen to continue to work constructively with them and our other key stakeholders to ensure we achieve this.

“It’s clear that strong support for the Wylfa Newydd project continues across the community and, as we would expect, some concerns have also been raised.

“Indeed, this is the point of pre-application consultation, to ensure that the community’s voice is heard and, as we have always done, we’re listening carefully and taking account of feedback as the project develops.

“We remain absolutely committed to delivering major benefits and minimising the impacts of our project on our host community of Anglesey, while ensuring we deliver an investible project.

“We must remember that in order to unlock the wider benefits of the 100-year Wylfa Newydd project, we must first achieve our consent to build, and secure a final investment decision.”